


You're Infinitely Mine

by shutterbugtraveler



Category: Ant-Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Best Friends to Lovers, F/M, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2020-04-05 05:40:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19042243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shutterbugtraveler/pseuds/shutterbugtraveler
Summary: The first time Hope Van Dyne realises she’s in love with her best friend, Scott Lang, is when she’s sixteen years old.A high school AU, in which Hope and Scott are best friends, but doesn't realise that they're meant to be.





	You're Infinitely Mine

The first time Hope Van Dyne realises she’s in love with her best friend, Scott Lang, is when she’s sixteen years old. 

It happened during summer break, started with a dare, started with a kiss.

Scott, with his irresistible, pleading puppy dog eyes and earnest grin, convincing Hope for a summer trip to the beach with the rest of the students who had stayed back during the summer. She reluctantly relents, because she couldn’t tolerate his incessant begging. And she couldn’t say no, not to him. Hope certainly didn’t foresee the events that would befall later on, nor did Scott.

A proposal of a game of Truth or Dare had arisen.

Hope, trying to worm her way out, but Scott’s hand are on her shoulders, pushing her back down onto the sand, telling her she needs to let her hair down once in a while, live a little, earning himself a scowl from her in response.

But, maybe he’s right.

After all, they were supposed to celebrate the end of the exams, and finally progressing to the senior year of high school. So they sit in a circle, with a campfire keeping them warm in the dropping temperature, with a scattering of empty beer bottles strewn at the site of the campfire and she watches, watches as her batch mates make a fool of themselves completing stupid dares, and blurting out drunken confessions.

By some cosmic twist of fate, the empty wine bottle spins to her direction. Immediately, all eyes are on her, on Hope, the top student in her year, the soon-to-be valedictorian. She lets out an exasperated sigh.

 _Dare,_ she chooses, simply because she dismisses any emotional entanglement that she might experience. She’d rather skinny dip naked in the freezing ocean than confess her truest emotions.

 _Kiss Scott!_ Luis, their Latino friend hollers. Hope shoots him a glare but a conspicuous grin spreads on his face instead, and he gives her a two thumbs up. It’s no secret that Luis has started a bet on Scott and Hope because according to him, there’s no way a platonic relationship exist between a boy and a girl even when they tell him off. _Nothing is happening!_ Hope remembers herself lamenting, repeatedly.

She’s going to choke Luis to death, after the dare.

And she’s going to prove him wrong.

She’s going to kiss Scott, because she’s not afraid. Hope Van Dyne is never afraid.

 _We can’t kiss each other! We’re best friends, it’s like, it’s like incest!_ Scott protests, eyes wide as saucers, full of theatrics as usual. Somewhere, Luis is calling him a wuss. Scott counter-acts, mentions that he isn’t a coward. Hope wants to tell Scott to shut up, (didn’t he just tell her to live?) so she cups his slightly-scratchy cheeks instead, effectively silencing him. And in the midst of raging teenage hormones and the after effects of the bittersweet alcohol, she kisses him.

She kisses him under a sky of perfect midnight velvet, dotted with billions of stars dancing along the sky, with the sound of the soft, lapping waves carelessly dribbling over the sand.

She kisses him with the cool breeze brushing softly against their faces, a contrast to the rising heat from their cheeks, and the gentle rustling of the trees.

She kisses him under the curious eyes and scrutinising gazes, and then the crowd erupts into a rambunctious cheer.

 _It’s just a kiss._ She certainly didn’t expect warmth flushing through her entire torso, spreading from her toes to her neck. Didn’t expect the wild, erratic thumping of her heart drowning out the cheers of the crowd, that she’s afraid Scott would hear. Didn’t expect that it feels good for his lips to be pressed against hers. Didn’t think she would actually like it.

_Fuck._

She likes it.

It’s even stranger that Scott is kissing her back, that just seconds ago, he was scrunching up his nose in disgust at the thought of kissing his best friend, but now he’s gently reciprocating, his lips gently brushing against hers, the refreshing scent of his aftershave, his hands on her arms, and it feels right.

It shouldn’t feel right.

Hope draws away from Scott before her thoughts tempt her further. She meets his eyes, warm and soft, and it’s making her feel _something_. Her hands had slipped onto his chest during the kiss and she jolt backwards in surprise.

Scott blinks at her, stupidly, for a moment, dazed-like. His cheeks feels hot. He touches his lips, where he still has the lingering sensation of the kiss and then he feels like he’s about to combust into flames. She tastes of marshmallows and sweet alcohol.

It’s not an exaggeration that in Scott Lang’s head, he has imagined, multiple times with different scenarios of how his first kiss would turn out, and one of it certainly wasn’t under the eyes of his peers, but it was certainly with the same girl.

Because he’s in love with Hope.

…

It’s the longest car ride Hope has ever been with her father, ever since her mother died one year ago.

It was a testing time for the Pym-Van Dyne family, an obstacle that both, together, had failed to hurdle through. A tragedy that was supposed to bring the two of them closer, had only tore them apart. Her father had confessed to her that he had lost a part of him, when her mother died. 

But Hope had too, she had lost her universe. 

He had come home one day, announced he was sending her off to boarding school. Hope didn’t utter a word, instead broke down in tears in the safe confines of her bedroom and came out with an absolute resolution to not shedding a tear again, no matter what happened. She thought it was for the best. Her father was as close to being non-existent in her life, immersing himself in endless amount of work. If her father didn’t want her, she didn’t need him too.

Which is why Hope didn’t understand why her father had insisted on driving her to school, when she was perfectly fine with taking a taxi. 

It’s absolute silence, the only sounds being the faint humming of the car engine, and the occasional whizzing of cars passing by the opposite direction. Hope, resting her hand against her cheek, looking out through the car window, her other hand absentmindedly toying with the two pendants of her necklace. It was a gift from her mother, the pendants - an acorn and an oak leaf. 

_They represent luck, prosperity, strength and knowledge. You’re a very lucky girl._ Hope could still remember her mother’s words as she affectionately touched her nose. 

She certainly didn’t feel very lucky now. 

She tears her eyes away from the vastness of the deep blue ocean alongside the highway, dazzling under the sunlight, and sneaks a glance at her father. Hank, who’s deep in thought as usual, masked expression, fingers lightly drumming on the steering wheel, looking straight ahead. Hope notices the wrinkles at the corner of his eye, the dark eye bag, the greying hair above his ear, signs of the past year taking a toll on him. Her father used to smile a lot, in the presence of his family, but now, barely. She didn’t understand, didn’t understand at all. They were supposed to be each other’s rock, how did he let this happen? 

“We’re here.” 

Hope looks away quickly, couldn’t let her father see the yearning look in her face, and Eastwood Academy looms into view. She’s out from the car as soon as Hank makes a stop in front of the building, already taking her luggage out from the car boot. As much as she wants to avoid saying goodbye to him, he steps out from the car and stands in front of her, both hands in his pocket. 

“Hope,” Hank stares at her, hesitates, and looks away. He hasn’t been able to look at his daughter straight in the eye, ever since his wife’s death. He hates it. She’s looking more and more like her mother and his heart aches every single time. He wants to reach out to pat her shoulder, or maybe a hug, but he stands still. 

She stares back at him, sees the way her father is looking right through her, and clenches her fist. Hope doesn’t know why but she wishes he would say something, an I-love-you or I’m-going-to-miss-you, she wants him to mend their broken relationship. She’s, hopeful. _How ironic._

“Don’t get into trouble,” Hank manages stiffly, at last, hiding his closed fists inside his pockets. This was his way of saying goodbye. 

Hope’s eyes are steel cold. _The little spark of hope inside dies away._ She shouldn’t have bothered. “Goodbye _Hank_ ,” And then she’s already turning on her heels, walking away as fast as she can, feeling the weight of her father’s disappointed eyes at her back. 

It’s the first time she’s calling her father by his name, and it isn’t the last. 

… 

Hope’s first day at school, she’s a bag of nerves, but she’s determined not to show it. She wasn’t afraid, has taught herself to be brave. She’s just shy and not very good at making friends. The school hall is teeming with students and a cacophony of sounds are ringing in her ears. Hope walks in long strides along the corridor, as much as her legs would allow, clutching the strap of her backpack a little too tightly that it’s turning her knuckles white. Her goal is to get to the classroom with as minimal interruptions as possible, not that there would be any, because nobody knows her. 

Little did she know, her plans were foiled the moment a boy comes crashing down the ground, right in front of her. 

“Scott!” A thunderous voice follows. 

Hope comes to a halt, almost kicking the boy in the face if it wasn’t for her lightning reflexes. “What the fuck,” she mutters under her breath, frowning. Her gaze meets his face when he tilts his head up to look at her, having broken his fall by propping up on his hands, preventing himself from falling flat on his face. 

“Sorry,” he gives her a crooked grin. She notices a dark bruise forming at the corner of his eye. Quickly, he’s pushing himself off the ground, ready to scramble away, but only to be pulled back by a greater force. 

“Get up, thief!”

Hope hears a gravelly voice coming from a bald-headed boy who’s several inches taller and bigger than what’s his name again? Scott? As he gets dragged backwards on the heels by the strap of his sling bag, he flashes a scintillating grin, with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. He doesn’t seem afraid, not at all. 

_Thief?_ She judges quickly. Hope’s biggest pet peeve was one who doesn’t have a moral compass. So, with the ‘obstruction’ out of the way, she makes her way again. 

Scott gets slammed onto the lockers and the loud noise reverberates through the school corridor. Heads turn, a crowd starts to form around the commotion, students whispering, talking. He winces in pain, but the grin is back in a second, even when his opponent pins him down with his forearm.

“Hey Darren! What can I do for you?” Scott quips, too cheerfully. 

“Where is it?” Darren growls, shoves him harder. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Scott feigns innocence. 

A heavy punch lands right on his abdomen. Scott coughs and sputters, the stinging pain shooting through his entire body, but the smile remains. “Come on, you should have known better than to keep cold, hard cash in your locker,” he says smugly, “Especially when it doesn’t belong to you,” he stares him down. He receives another blow on the abdomen and then he bends over in pain, groaning. This time, Darren had used his knee instead. 

Hope stops in her tracks. So, he wasn’t a thief. _What should you do when you see people in trouble? Help them!_ She doesn’t know why her mother’s words are ringing in her head, at this moment. Hope chews on her bottom lip, shuffling back and forth on her feet uncertainly, battling with her conscience. She could help him. No, she shouldn’t. She couldn’t. 

_Fuck it._

“So, you’re Robin Hood now?” Darren laughs mockingly, glances at his two friends, and they start to cackle too. 

“What if I am?” Scott retorts. And then all he sees is the swinging of Darren’s fist, coming right at his face. He closes his eyes, bracing for the impact, thinking he’s going to have a bloody nose this time, hell, maybe a fractured nose, but, but nothing happens.

“Pick on someone your own size.” 

A girl’s voice. Cold. Even. Unafraid.

Scott’s eyes flicker open and his gaze travels to the side profile of the girl, her hair tied up in a high ponytail, and then he looks on, half-impressed, half-terrified, because she’s blocking Darren’s fist with her own. Darren, who’s twice her size, who’s the school bully that everybody is afraid to stand up to, but she easily tackles. 

“Who are you? His girlfriend?” Darren hisses, but a flicker of horror crosses his eyes. His hand is shaking, he tries to tug his fist away from her, but her grip is firm and strong, and he barely even budges. 

His question must have angered her because everything happens in a blur next, Scott isn’t exactly sure how it happened, because suddenly she’s seizing Darren’s wrist, twisting his arm, and pinning it behind his back. She tugs his hand downwards forcefully, almost dislocating his shoulder. Scott stares on in awe, jaw open, because she makes it all seem, effortless. 

Darren yelps in pain, his cries echoing through the school hall. Hope only lets him go when the discipline teacher, Mr. Rogers, comes interfering, breaking the chaos, and he sends them off to his office. 

…

_Don’t get into trouble._

For her entire life, Hope has never gotten into trouble, has never crossed the line of breaking the rules. But, _there’s got to be a first for everything right_ , she thinks as she reads the signage on the glass panel door - Head of Discipline: Mr. Steve Rogers, while trying to ignore Scott’s unending fidgeting because he just can’t seem to stand still. Hope senses a nervous energy around him which she can’t figure out why but she has an inkling that it isn’t his first time here. 

Now that they’re alone, Scott is able to get a better look at Hope - dark hair, immaculate brows with a piercing gaze, her eyes in a shade of green similar to his and a smattering of freckles spilled across her nose and cheeks. Pretty, but intimidating and mysterious and he wonders how she looks so calm and collected while standing outside the discipline teacher’s office, awaiting their fate. He's never seen her before so he assumes she’s a new student (not to say he knows everybody in the school) because with a beautiful face like that, she surely would have left an impression on him. He looks around, and there’s still no sight of Mr. Rogers. 

Scott can’t stand the awkward silence so he decides to break the ice. 

“So, where did you learn your moves from?” Scott is purely curious. He starts waving his fist goofily at her direction as he takes on a boxing stance. “Rocky? Or Million Dollar Baby?” And then his actions and words falter because she’s narrowing her eyes into slits and suddenly he feels _very small_ because it’s like she’s judging him, and it makes him feel like an idiot instead. 

_Great start Scott_ , he internally berates himself. 

“So, uh, thanks for saving my neck there,” he rubs the back of his neck awkwardly, a quirk that he does whenever he’s nervous or anxious, “but you _really_ didn’t need to do that, everything was under control…”

“You call getting your face punched under control?” Hope stares at him, incredulous. 

_She's speaking, finally._

“I had a plan alright? This was supposed to be a set up, to get back at Darren and my best friend was supposed to come and help me but I’m pretty sure he overslept because he refuses to set an alarm…,” Scott blabbers, clearly flustered. 

“Look, I don’t wanna know,” Hope cuts him off. 

“And I don’t even know why I’m telling you this,” Scott huffs. 

They were too occupied glowering at each other that they didn’t notice Mr. Rogers standing in front of them until he clears his throat and it makes both of them jump. 

“Mr. Lang. Ms. Van Dyne,” Mr. Rogers gives them a small smile. 

They converge in his office and Scott starts explaining - of how Darren Cross had been extorting money from students in exchange for protection and everybody was too afraid to stand up to him. Scott, deciding to take matters into his own hands, had came up with an elaborate plan - of marking the extorted cash with invisible ink for easier identification later, and even going to the lengths of secretly recording videos of Darren doing the deed and then he had break into his locker, took the cash and returned it to the students. 

Hope can’t help but feel slightly impressed as she listens on, and Scott notices when he sneaks a sideways glance at her, a ghost of a smile twitching at the corner of her lips. 

“And how do you come into the picture Ms. Van Dyne?” Mr. Rogers leans forward, clasping his hands together, and looks at her, his light blue eyes warm and soft. 

“She’s not in any part of this. I don’t even know her,” Scott interjects before Hope could open her mouth. “She was just trying to help me,” he shrugs. 

“He’s right. I don’t know him either,” Hope refrains herself from giving him an eye roll. 

“Well, maybe the both of you can get to know each other, and perhaps bond over your sense of nobleness because you’re both, unfortunately getting detention,” Mr. Rogers gives them a sympathetic smile. 

Both of them shift forward abruptly in their chairs upon hearing the word 'detention'. 

Hope stares at him in disbelief. “But…,” she opens her mouth, wanting to argue but Mr. Rogers holds his hand up instead. 

“As much as I would like to praise you both for your good intentions, violence isn’t tolerated here and breaking into somebody’s locker and ‘stealing’ is not allowed either,” he explains. 

“I didn’t steal, it didn’t even belong to him!” 

“You could have come to me Mr. Lang. And I don't want you to fall back to your old ways,” Mr. Rogers gives Scott a firm stare but Hope could see the softness in his eyes and she wonders for a moment what did he meant by Scott's 'old ways'. 

Scott stares at him, blankly, but then grumbles, “Where would be the fun in that?” And slumps back in the chair. 

“Anyhow, I assure you, Mr. Cross will receive the punishment he deserves," he reassures them. 

So, Hope ends up with detention on the first day of school. She’s not entirely sure how she feels about it but maybe, just maybe it was a perfect way to get back at her father. 

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know why I wrote this, just because I love some Scott X Hope pining for each other.  
> Comments and kudos are the life of me. Thank you.
> 
> *Come tell me about your love for Scott X Hope on Tumblr, @ wching. :D


End file.
